Stan Kroenke flew into London for just a day earlier this week, and met with Arsenal directors

Given that he is due to spend a week here at the end of October for the NFL jamboree, the only conclusion for his visit was to deal with issues that cannot wait.

Here are four possibilities –

a) Representation on the Arsenal board

b) A Market Agreement - joining the directors share "lock-down" either officially or silently

c) Resolving the Arsenal TV broadband deal (Kroenke purchased this in tandem with his shares from ITV six months ago)

d) A Share Deal. He is thinking of selling up now that he can see he will not be able to buy a majority share in the club and is discussing his options with the board.

The first three are more likely with a view to reaching an agreement that could be announced at the October 18th AGM. If it were to sell shares, surely the board members would have flown out to see him. Unless of course, the price he wants is sufficiently high enough to make the trip worth his while.

Remember, neither Red & White Holdings nor the current directors can purchase Kroenke’s shares for a few months due to their statements regarding their intentions under stock exchange rules. When a party owns 30% of the shares they have to make a mandatory bid for the Club which would be pointless before the end of the directors’ share lock down agreement which expires no earlier than 18th April 2008.

However, this could be got around by an independent concern buying them to 'park' the shares until such a time as either the board or Usmanov can legally take hold of them.

The board feel they are sitting pretty with a controlling number of shares, but everything has a price, it just depends whether or not anyone is willing to pay it… and it appears that Usmanov has more money to burn.

Having told Stan Kroenke only six months ago that "we don't want your sort" it may now be the case that he will be invited inside the tent as the other predator is seen as less desirable.